Posts by Kelsie Raucher

Kelsie is from southwest Missouri and grew up on a 150-acre farm helping her family buy and sell horses and cattle. She credits FFA for finding her passion for agriculture and food issues and desiring a career as an “agvocate.” Since coming to Cornell, she has gained interest in local production, global food issues, and environmental impacts of and on agriculture. She joined the Cornell Small Farms Program in May of 2018 and is excited to gain experience to complement coursework in the Agricultural Sciences major and Communication major.
apples cals fall

New York is Ripe for Apple Harvest

By Kelsie Raucher / September 18, 2019

Apples will be bigger and better this harvest season, according to Cornell University experts. Largely in part to the weather working in favor for farmers this year, apple color, quality, and size should all be superlative this fall.  “2019 should be an excellent year for apple quality,” Cornell University professor Susan Brown, an apple breeder…

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How to Celebrate National Farm Safety and Health Week 2019

By Kelsie Raucher / September 16, 2019

  Working in agriculture poses more risks than your average job, but many precautions can — and should — be taken to reduce risk. The week of September 15 through September 21, 2019 is National Farm Health and Safety Week, which has been declared by the sitting president annually since 1944. Organized by the National…

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larry smart hemp

Hype or Hope? CCE Podcast Cuts Through the Hemp Haze

By Kelsie Raucher / September 11, 2019

Delve into the hemp industry in New York State (and nationwide) with the latest episodes of Extension Out Loud, the podcast from Cornell Cooperative Extension. A versatile crop, hemp has many uses post-harvest from fiber for biocomposites (potentially a replacement for fiberglass), to extracting cannabidiol to using the protein for plant-based foods. Production has been…

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mario sazo in apple orchard looking at blossom

CCE Podcast Highlights Modernization in the Apple Industry

By Kelsie Raucher / September 3, 2019

What do Silicon Valley and farmers have in common? Apples.  Recently, hosts of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) podcast Extension Out Loud were joined by Mario Miranda Sazo at this year’s annual Empire Farm Days to delve into digital agriculture within the apple industry.  Sazo, a fruit extension specialist with CCE’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program, explained…

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oyster mushroom held outside

September Mushroom Webinar to Feature Oyster on Straw Cultivation

By Kelsie Raucher / August 29, 2019

Next Wednesday, September 4, marks the lastest installment of Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty mushroom project’s free monthly webinar series.  Held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, this month’s webinar includes an overview of cultivation methods for oyster mushrooms on straw, with Steve Gabriel of the Small Farms Program. The second half of the…

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Edible Weeds from Farm to Market: Farmer Survey Responses Needed

By Kelsie Raucher / December 10, 2018

Edible Weeds from Farm to Market is a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) funded project of CCE Columbia and Greene Counties Agroforestry Research Center. The project is researching the use and marketability of edible weeds as supplemental farm crops. A free resource guide will be developed for farmers on how (and why) to add…

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NY Integrated Pest Management Warns: Don’t Get Ticked

By Kelsie Raucher / December 6, 2018

Ticks have become a “significant public health issue in New York” and the population has recently spiked. A warming climate and changes in land use can increase risk to tick exposure. Ticks are vectors of many diseases for both humans and animals, and a new species of tick, “the longhorned tick,” was spotted over the summer in Westchester…

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Conference Spotlight: SFP Presenting in Early 2019

By Kelsie Raucher / December 3, 2018

The Cornell Small Farms Program will be attending several conferences in early 2019. From presentations of our research to special events, you can connect with the our team and fellow farmers at the conferences listed below. New York State Vegetable Growers Association  2019 Empire State Producer’s Expo Reduced Tillage Project: Ryan Maher, Brian Caldwell, &…

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Register now for Block 3 courses!

By Kelsie Raucher / November 26, 2018

The Cornell Small Farms Program’s 2018-2019 season of online courses is underway, and it’s time to start planning your educational opportunities for the new year! So register now to learn about woodland mushrooms, markets and profits, fruit trees, financial planning, and commercial sheep. Registration closes for block three on Sunday, January 6 at 11:59 p.m. EST.…

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In the News: Farm Ops Featured this Veteran’s Day

By Kelsie Raucher / November 16, 2018

The Farm Ops project of the Cornell Small Farms Program provides expertise and community for veterans interested in agriculture across New York State. Connecting veterans with the Armed to Farm conference is often a first step in providing agricultural training and farm tours. If veterans want to make the transition into farming, the Small Farms Program…

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